


The Masked Reveal

by luckycataclysm



Category: Chat Noir - Fandom, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 20:43:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20712251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckycataclysm/pseuds/luckycataclysm
Summary: Everyone in Paris is invited to Mayor Bourgeois reelection celebration, and Alya and Nino aren't the only ones who know Marinette's secret.





	The Masked Reveal

"This is such a stupid idea. If Chat is here, wouldn't he realize that it's me?" Marinette pushed the mask further up her nose.

"Believe me, if the entirety of Paris couldn't figure you out, nobody is going to tonight," Alya reassured her. “At least you didn’t put black dots all over your outfit.

Alya led Marinette to the Mayor of the City, who called his butler over to take the tray of cookies from Marinette’s hands.

“Hello, Miss Césaire. Miss Dupain-Cheng.” He nodded to each of the girls.

“Your ballroom looks beautiful tonight, Mr. Bourgeois!” Marinette said cheerfully.

“Yes, thank you! Chloe suggested we have a bit of old-fashioned fun! Here, take these dance cards, all of the ladies have them. The boys will go around and sign their names on a slot, and when the song plays, you will have a dance partner. I must excuse myself, I have many guests to greet!” He anxiously handed them dance cards.

Alya and Marinette made their way to the other side of the ballroom, giggling about the powder Mr. Bourgeois had on the corners of his mouth.

“He’s going to really like the cookies your mom made if he’s stress eating already,” Alya teased.

“I bet he’ll eat them all before we even get a chance.” Marinette added.

“Ugh,” Alya groaned. “The Princess is here.” She motioned toward the door.

Chloe Bourgeois entered the ballroom in a long golden gown and a red and black spotted mask. Sabrina followed quickly, standing at her heels and wearing a dress that looked like it belonged to Chloe. Chloe caught Alya and Marinette’s eyes and sneered at them before making her way into the crowd of people.

“If only she knew she just rolled her eyes at her hero,” Alya said matter-of-factly. “She’s probably looking for Adrien. Maybe you’d want to find him first.”

“Why would I want to do that?” Marinette asked defensively.

“Girl, don’t you want to dance with him?” Alya questioned.

“If I dance with him, I’ll just make a fool out of myself. I have two left feet,” Marinette declared.

Alya rolled her eyes.

“Hey guys!” Nino said, approaching the girls. He had on the green mask Marinette had made for him.

“Hi, Nino!” Alya smiled as he kissed her cheek. “I’m digging the Carapace vibes.”

“Hey, hey, don’t give away my secret identity!” Nino joked.

“I really appreciate you not telling anyone by the way, Nino. Especially Adrien.” Marinette said softly.

Nino and Alya shared a frantic look. “Uhm, no problem. Hey, can I sign your dance card, Alya?” 

“Obviously!” Alya handed him the card. “Nino, can you please tell Marinette to go and dance with Adrien?”

“Yeah, dude,” Nino replied, signing his name on multiple slots. “So many girls have asked him and he hasn’t signed a single one.”

“Really?” Marinette tilted her head. “Not even Kagami?”

“She isn’t here yet,” Nino shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll find her way to him soon, though.”

“Oh, my God. Look,” Alya grabbed Marinette’s arm. “Adrien is coming this way.”

Marinette’s back straightened. She suddenly found her heart beating immensely fast. She stared at Alya. “He is?”

“Yes.” Alya grinned. “Are you ready?”

“No! I’m freaking out!” Marinette exhaled.

“C’mon, girl, just think. What would Ladybug do?”

Marinette took a deep breath and imagined the mask on her face was her Ladybug mask. Ladybug didn’t have to hide from Adrien or be embarrassed.

“Hey, Marinette,” Luka Couffaine said, stepping into the girl’s conversation. “Hey, guys.”

“Hi, Luka,” Marinette returned, trying to glance over his shoulder to see if Adrien was still heading their way.

“Uhm, Marinette? I was wondering, if you wanted, I could sign your dance card?” Luka shrugged, fixing his blue mask. “I’d like to dance with you.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. She and Alya shared a look. “Well…” Marinette caught sight of Adrien and Lila in the middle of the dance floor, watching as she shoved her dance card into his hands. “Of course, Luka, I’d love to.”

“Really? Great! I’ll only sign two slots. If you’d like to dance more after, just let me know.”

Marinette blushed. “Thank you.”

“Hey, guys. What’s up?” Adrien had appeared beside Luka and stood in front of Alya, smiling brightly at the girls. Marinette tensed, fidgeting with her dress.

“Good! Great! I mean, what’s up with you?” Marinette asked.

Adrien laughed, his green eyes glowing under the pure black mask. “Nothing much. Nino, you don’t mind if I sign Alya’s card, do you?”

“Go ahead, dude. She’ll need a break from my awesome dance moves for someone mediocre,” Nino teased. Adrien punched his shoulder.

“I’ll see you for our dance, Marinette.” Luka took Marinette’s hand in his and kissed her knuckles. Alya heard Adrien take a deep breath.

“Bye, Luka,” Marinette muttered, wondering why her face felt so hot.

Adrien signed the second slot of Alya’s dance card. “I didn’t know you and Luka were a thing, Marinette.”

“Luka and I? Oh, no,” Marinette said simply. “He just wanted to dance.”

“I don’t know, he talks about you a lot,” Adrien told her.

Marinette blinked. “Have you signed anybody else’s card?”

“Only Lila’s first slot. Didn’t exactly have a choice,” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck.

Marinette’s lips pursed. “Alya, want to get some dessert?”

Alya nodded.

“I’ll come with you,” Adrien offered.

“It’s okay, Adrien,” Alya put a hand on his shoulder and handed him something that Marinette couldn’t see. Adrien nodded, giving her a sly smile.

“Girl, you are so not Ladybug right now,” Alya said on their walk to the dessert table. “You need to step up your game! He wants to dance with you!”

“Hey, Marinette! Hey, Alya!” Kim greeted when the girls arrived.

“Hi, Kim!” They said together.

“Your parents made the best macarons I’ve ever tasted,” Kim shoved another one into his mouth and swallowed. “Try some of the croissants my mom and I made!”

“I think I’ll have some later. My stomach is in knots.” Marinette explained. “Alya will have to eat for me.”

Alya graciously tore a small piece off of the croissant and popped it into her mouth.

“Oh, do you have dance cards?” Kim wondered, wiping his hands on his pants.“I’m in a race with Max to get the most dances!”

“You can sign mine, Kim,” Alya happily handed him her card.

Marinette reached into her bag before regret fell on her face. “I lost my dance card.” She groaned. “I’m the worst.”

Alya opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but decided against it and crossed her arms, smiling innocently at Marinette.

“Hey, it’s alright, we can help you find it!” Kim suggested.

“Yeah, I’ll go ask around if anyone’s picked one up,” Alya proposed.

“I’ll look around this side of the room, near the desserts,” Kim said.

“Thank you, guys. I’ll look on the other side of the room,” Marinette laughed.

The three went their separate ways, Marinette pushing through the crowd to get back to the other side of the room. Marinette tried to squeeze between two people, but ended up tripping over someone’s foot, barreling into the person in front of her.

“I am so sor- Oh. Lila,” Marinette grumbled.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Lila asked, putting her hand on her shoulder. “Lucky I was there or you would have smashed your face!”

Marinette clenched her fists. “I know you’re only putting on a show because other people are here, Lila.”

Lila fixed her dark orange mask. It was obvious she was trying to look like Volpina again, which only made Marinette angier. “Awe, please don’t be mad that Adrien asked me to dance right away.”

“You wish,” Marinette retorted.

“Oh, I know,” Lila crossed her arms, a fake smile plastered on her face. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up. You might get akumatized. Again.”

Marinette took a step forward, her mask giving her all the more confidence. “Oh, you mean twice like you have? Please, Lila, spare me the friendship act.”

Lila rolled her eyes under her mask. “All I’m saying is don’t wait around for Adrien. We’ll probably be dancing the whole night.”

Marinette took a deep breath and walked away before Lila could say anything else. The last thing she needed tonight was to be akumatized. Marinette reached the spot where she and Alya had stood, and frowned at the empty floor. She scanned the nearby tables for any sign of her dance card.

Marinette bent down and lifted a table cloth, searching underneath. She was on her hands and knees to peer down the long table when she felt the cloth lift off her back.

“What are we looking for?” Asked a voice.

Marinette glanced over her shoulder and jumped, almost hitting the back of her head on the table. “Oh! Uhm, nothing!”

“So, you enjoy looking under tables?” Adrien questioned. “Can I join you?”

“Actually, I’m done.” She laughed, crawling out from the table. Adrien offered her his hand and pulled her off the ground.

“I like your mask, Marinette. You look just like Ladybug.”

“Thank you,” Marinette blushed. Ladybug was exactly who she needed right now. “Have you seen a dance card anywhere? I lost mine. Typical me, right?”

“Well, lucky for you, I happened to find a missing card,” Adrien said, holding it up between two fingers.

“Oh, good!”

“I saw that only Luka had been able to sign it,” Adrien pointed out.

“Yes, well, I was supposed to have Kim sign it, but I lost it before he got the chance.”

“Good evening, everyone!” Mr. Bourgeois announced near the front of the room on a stage. Behind him sat about twelve people in an orchestra, tuning their instruments for the first song. “I’m glad we are able to come together and celebrate my reelection! We are going to start the first dance now!”

Adrien leaned toward Marinette. “Well, I graciously took the liberty of going around and getting it filled out for you.”

Marinette gawked. “You did what?” She asked, stunned.

“I got every spot filled!”

“Now,” Mr. Bourgeois bellowed. “Ladies, if you would look at the first name on your dance card, you may now find your partner. If you do not have a partner, I’m sure you can find someone standing around!” Many people in the room laughed.

“Adrien!” Marinette cried. “You know I can’t dance! Everyone is going to laugh at me!”

Adrien ignored her and opened the card. “Let’s see... you have the first two dances with Luka. Then- oh! Look at that. Every other slot is taken by me.” He turned the card to face her, and sure enough, slots 3-10 had the name Adrien Agreste written next to them.

“Marinette, are you ready to dance?” Luka asked, taking Marinette’s hand.

Marinette stared at her dance card, speechless. She nodded to Luka, who began to lead her to the dance floor. Marinette glanced over her shoulder at Adrien, who had found Alya and was showing her the card. He beamed proudly.

The music began, and an uptempo song played. Luka put a hand on Marinette’s waist, and waited for her to put her hand on his shoulder. He led them in a fast dance that would have been fun if Marinette had focused on the steps rather than try to see what Adrien was doing every time they turned.

He must’ve been joking, right? He just hadn’t wanted anyone to fill out her card. It was all a mean prank he was pulling with Lila, and afterwards he would walk up to Marinette and laugh at her for not having any dance partners. Unless, he hadn’t been joking. That made Marinette even more nervous. Eight dances with Adrien Agreste, who knew she couldn’t dance very well, who knew she got flustered everytime she was around him, and who was probably the last person Marinette thought she’d be dancing with tonight. She didn’t know if she could make it past the fourth dance.

Luka couldn’t help but notice Marinette’s absentmindedness, and eventually gave up on trying to get her attention.

When the second song begun, Luka looked at her. “You don’t have to dance with me if you don’t want to, Marinette.”

“What? Of course I want to dance with you, Luka! It’s just…” Marinette trailed off when she caught sight of Adrien and Lila. She had her arms wrapped around his shoulders, glaring in Marinette’s direction. “My mind is where it shouldn’t be.”

“You know, I’ve always admired that about you,” Luka explained. “I like when your mind wanders.”

Marinette smiled softly, feeling guilty about not giving Luka any attention. She refrained from looking at Adrien this time. She didn’t want to even think about Lila putting her hands on him.

Luka spun Marinette delicately. “Marinette, I- ACK!”

“Sorry!” Marinette apologized. She hadn’t even realized she had stepped on his foot.

“It’s okay!” He reassured her, closing his eyes to fight through the pain.

Marinette hoped the song would be over soon. She felt awkward in Luka’s arms, like something was off, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Do you think Lila and Adrien are dating?” Luka asked nonchalantly.

“What?”

“It seems like he doesn’t really like her, but Lila always talks about going over his house and having study sessions. Everybody knows they couldn’t be studying that much.”

“I’d hope not,” Marinette couldn’t help but glance back at Adrien.

“Because you like Adrien?”

“What? I, uhm-” Marinette stuttered.

“It’s okay, I’m sure the whole school is aware by now. But I like you a lot, Marinette. And I understand how you feel toward Adrien. I just want to know if you were willing to give me a chance instead?”

Marinette stared at Luka with wide eyes. The music to the second song had ended, and all around them people were changing partners.

“Ready, Marinette?” Adrien appeared suddenly, his hand held out to her.

“Will you dance with me again?” Luka whispered, holding out his hand as well. The music for the next song started to play.

Marinette looked between the two: Luka Couffaine, who was kind and patient and understanding, and Adrien Agreste, who was smart and funny and loving.

“I’m sorry, Luka, I’ve already promised Adrien,” Marinette said, placing her hand in Adrien’s.

Luka gave her a sad smile. “It’s okay. That’s all the answer I need.”

“Let’s go!” Adrien led her to an open space on the floor closer to the stage and placed his arm on her waist, lifting their hands up.

A chill ran up Marinette’s spine. She cautiously put her hand on his shoulder.

“Sorry it took me so long to get over there,” Adrien told her. “Lila wouldn’t let go of me.”

“Oh.” Was all Marinette could say.

They danced in silence for a while. Marinette stared at her feet as to not step on his foot as she did Luka’s, and didn’t notice Adrien staring at her concentrated expression and taking it all in. 

Marinette noticed how much shorter Adrien was than Luka. She didn’t have to reach all the way up to reach his shoulder, and didn’t feel as though she was being lifted off the ground every time they turned. However, Adrien was much more intimidating. When she looked up at him, she felt as though she would suddenly burst into flames.

“What did you and Luka talk about?” Adrien wondered out loud as the fourth song began.

“He, uh… He was wondering if you and Lila were dating.” She decided to leave about the part about finding out Luka liked her. He didn’t need to know that much.

“No way. You and I both know why that will never happen,” Adrien winked.

Marinette giggled. “Oh, no, I told him you were!”

Adrien pretended to be shocked. “Great, now I have to date her so I’m not a liar, too.”

“Can you date after we dance? I don’t think she’d like if I was standing in a 10-mile-radius of her boyfriend,” Marinette teased.

“She can suffer,” Adrien shrugged. 

Adrien spun Marinette, and when she returned she raised her arm. Adrien allowed her to spin him, laughing as he came back around. They shared a smile as the fifth dance began.

The song started with a bang, and the rest of the chorus played at an immensely fast pace. Adrien spun Marinette feverishly, lifting her off the ground when the rest of the adults lifted their partners. They clapped at the same time as the others, and the room became a sort of orchestrated dance. By the end, everyone who had been dancing were sweating and laughing as a chorus.

Adrien grabbed Marinette’s hand. “I’m really glad you’re letting me spend the rest of the night with you,” He said in her ear over the chatter.

“Me too,” Marinette admitted.

The sixth song began as a slow dance with Clara Nightingale singing the lyrics. Adrien wrapped both his hands around her waist, and Marinette retaliated by holding his shoulders. They danced for a while before Marinette felt her heart beating against her ribs. She leaned her head on his shoulder so she wouldn’t have to look in his eyes anymore.

“I know that you’re Ladybug, Marinette,” Adrien said suddenly.

Marinette lifted her head, her eyebrows raised. Adrien felt her hands shaking on the back of his neck. “What? I- I’m not- I don’t-”

“Alya and Nino didn’t tell me. I figured it out,” Adrien explained. 

“Adrien-”

“You’re always late to class, you disappear when there are akuma’s… I just wonder how it took me so long to figure it out.”

Marinette wanted to faint right then and there in his arms and never wake up. “I- I couldn’t be Ladybug-”

“And I know because... Because I’m Chat Noir.”

Marinette took her hands off of Adrien’s neck. “What are you doing?” She took a step back.

“Come with me,” Adrien held out his hand.

Marinette took it hesitantly, her mind racing a million miles an hour. She felt his ring against her hand and closed her eyes. There could be no way Chat Noir and Adrien Agreste were the same person.

Adrien led them to a balcony, and closed the door once they were outside. He moved them to a corner, out of view from the crowd.

“Plagg,” Adrien closed his eyes. “Claws out.”

Marinette covered her mouth with her hands as Adrien transformed before her eyes. Chat Noir stood in his place, his black suit and all.

“I’ve been trying to tell you for weeks, trying to drop hints,” Chat chuckled. “I even wore the mask tonight so you would notice.”

“I don’t know what to say…” Marinette faltered.

“How about spots on?” Chat tried.

Marinette took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “Tikki. Spots on.” She felt her dress disappear, and in its place, her familiar suit. 

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Chat, who rushed at her.

“I knew it!” He cheered, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her off the ground. Ladybug couldn’t help but laugh.

Chat put her down and took a step back, looking her up and down and beaming. “I’m so glad it’s you, Marinette. I can’t believe you’ve been right here the whole time. Can I kiss you?” He babbled. Chat took a step forward, but Ladybug put a hand on his chest.

“Wait a minute, Chat,” She began.

Chat’s smile fell. “Oh right… The boy you’re in love with.”

“Chat-“

“I can’t believe after all this time we won’t get to be together.”

“Chat-!”

“Obviously, I’m going to have to kill him.”

“It’s Adrien!” Marinette laughed. “I’m in love with Adrien.”

Chat’s jaw dropped. He pointed at himself with a confused expression. Marinette nodded, her face as red as her mask.

Chat grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. “Please, let me kiss you,” He pleaded.

“You’ll have to catch me first, kitty,” Marinette dared, poking Chat in the nose. She shuffled out of his grip and jumped off the balcony, swinging her yoyo toward the nearest building. When she turned around, Adrien was right behind her, wearing a lovesick grin.


End file.
